Hillman Imp (1975)

History

First registered as KJB 886P in October 1975, it is probably one of the earliest Caledonians surviving, and might even be the earliest known survivor. It has had seven registered owners from new, the details of which are in the history file, it was restored in 2014/2015, with the bills and receipts being on file. Bearing in mind the very low recorded mileage, the car is in structurally excellent condition as it has been fully restored since 2015 and has only covered some 139 miles since then. Finished in sparkling Cherry Red with the original patterned seats, it is a rare Special Edition Hillman Imp from the mid 1970’s. We have one picture on file courtesy of the Imp Caledonian website showing the car prior to restoration. For more information on the Caledonian , visit their website http://www.impcaledonian.co.uk   

Comments

The Caledonian differed from the Imp deluxe on which it was based in that it had a number of optional extras added as standard. The adverts at the time highlighted that these extras saved £166 on adding them to a standard deluxe. These included, sport wheel trims, bumper over riders, door mirrors, radio and aerial and reversing lights. However the Caledonian was more special than that, as only the Caledonian came with white sticker stripes down the side and unique tartan inspired seats, and became a special edition Imp in its own right, , all of the Caledonians were Cherry Red with tartan style seats, and UK cars carried ‘P’ registrations from October 1975 onwards until production of approximately 2000 ceased in March 1976, the Imp website estimated only 170 may still survive today, however after recent research that figure is more likely to be under 50. The Caledonian was a specifically marketed special edition Imp produced by Hillman, and no doubt being built at the Scottish Linwood plant contributed to the naming of the car.

Body

 Very good original body work which has been resprayed in the course of restoration four years ago 

Interior

The interior appears to be original and in a condition commensurate with the low mileage 

Mechanical

Mechanically in good original order, the car will be checked over prior to sale. It comes with a history detailing the recent restoration, and ownership history since 1975.